Tôn Nữ
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 孫女, composed of 孫 (“grandchild”) and 女 (“daughter”), Chinese 孫女 (“granddaughter”). Originally the various titles of Nguyễn emperors' granddaughters (công tôn nữ (literally “the granddaughter who is a duke (prince)'s daughter”)), great-granddaughters (công tằng tôn nữ), etc.
Alternatively, from a non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 宗女 (“female of imperial lineage”, SV: tông nữ), with tông perhaps euphemistically replaced with tôn to avoid referencing Emperor Thiệu Trị, whose taboo name was Nguyễn Phúc Miên Tông. A name prescribed by Emperor Minh Mạng upon female descendants of the Nguyễn Phúc lineage. Compare Tôn Thất and tôn giáo.
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ton˧˧ nɨ˦ˀ˥]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [toŋ˧˧ nɨ˧˨]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [toŋ˧˧ nɨ˨˩˦]
Proper noun
Tôn Nữ
- a surname from Chinese